| HARMONY/DISCORD |
 |
 |
| While nightclubs may be considered �a place of work� for musicians (however temporarily), these places also employ managers, servers and bouncers. I have seen too many people in Ontario (musicians included) lose their source of income due to club closures. It has also created a domino effect in the tourism industry, in general, with nearby hotels and restaurants being affected, as well. Former customers have thumbed their noses against the anti-smoking bylaw by just staying at home to enjoy their vices. As Crowbar so succinctly put it, �If there�s no audience, there just ain�t no show.�
These are privately owned adult establishments (with alcohol consumption being the primary source of revenue), and I believe it should be up to the individual property owners, as taxpayers, to decide if they wish to allow their patrons to smoke a legal product on their premises. The ideal, of course, is to have BOTH smoking and non-smoking venues. However, no one (patron and employee alike) is forced to spend any amount of time in these places. The presence of smokers is a �risk factor� that workers are expected to accept as a condition of their employment, just as department store workers (and customers) are expected to accept exposure to the noxious fumes of perfume and correctional workers are expected to deal with homicidal criminals. I�m sure there are some exotic dancers who would like to do their job without having to deal with horny customers coming onto them afterwards, but that�s a condition of their employment, isn�t it? There is already too much �blanket� government legislation being passed without a true representation of concurring opinion from the voting public. Whether your own personal �poison� is alcohol, nicotine, chocolate or French fries, let�s have some freedom of choice, as adults, to make our own decisions. If a musician doesn�t want to perform in a smoky bar, there are always coffeehouses, bookstores and concert halls, which are already covered under existing anti-smoking legislation. D.M. Wells |
 |